1948 Wine

1948 Wine

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Sandwiched between two legends, 1947 and 1949, the 1948 vintage is the most modest of the four great post-war vintages, and undoubtedly the least known. A difficult flowering after a cold and wet June, then a hot and dry summer followed by cool September nights, produced tannic wines, slow to open, today at perfect maturity with cedar, tobacco and dried fruits. On the left bank, Château Latour defines the wine of the year, with remarkable elegance and breeding; on the right bank, Pomerol succeeds brilliantly. Our cellar holds two rare bottles from this vintage: the Château Margaux 1948, a grand cru from the Médoc still vibrant with acidity, and the Domaine des Lambrays 1948, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru from the Cosson era. To place 1948 among the years of its century, consult our Vintage Guide.

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Bordeaux Classified Grand Crus

Bordeaux Classified Grand Crus
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The FAQ

Le millésime 1948 est-il un grand millésime ?

The 1948 vintage is considered a very good post-war vintage, without reaching the mythical status of 1945 or 1947. It produced structured wines, classic and well-constituted, particularly in Bordeaux and in certain appellations of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. The best terroirs yielded bottles capable of crossing the decades with elegance, which makes it today a vintage sought after by lovers of old wines.

Un vin de 1948 est-il encore buvable ?

Oui, un vin de 1948 peut encore être buvable, à condition qu’il provienne d’un grand terroir et qu’il ait été parfaitement conservé. Les meilleurs Bordeaux, Bourgognes ou Rhône de 1948 ont démontré un réel potentiel de garde.

Aujourd’hui, ces vins anciens sont à maturité avancée et offrent surtout une grande complexité aromatique (cuir, sous-bois, truffe, épices). L’état de conservation, le niveau de la bouteille et la provenance restent essentiels pour garantir une dégustation réussie.

Quelles sont les meilleures régions pour le millésime 1948 ?

Bordeaux figure parmi les régions les plus régulières en 1948, notamment dans le Médoc, à Saint-Émilion et à Pomerol. En Bourgogne, plusieurs grands crus de la Côte de Nuits ont bien évolué avec le temps. Dans la vallée du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape et certaines appellations septentrionales comme Hermitage ont produit des vins structurés et profonds. En Champagne, les cuvées millésimées 1948 sont extrêmement rares et constituent surtout des pièces de collection.

Vintage 1948: the tannic classic that remained in the shadow of 1947 and 1949

The 1948 vintage has long suffered from an overwhelming neighbourhood: sandwiched between the sunny 1947 and the powerful 1949, it remained the most discreet of the four great post-war vintages. And yet it is a year of true character. A flowering disrupted by a cold and wet June reduced volumes, before a hot and dry summer, followed by cool September nights, shaped tannic, upright wines built for long ageing. It took decades for the finest to reveal themselves, and it is today, at perfect maturity, that they deliver the full measure of an unjustly overlooked vintage.

Bordeaux 1948: Latour defines the vintage, Pomerol shines

In Bordeaux, 1948 is the most modest of the four great post-war vintages, but by no means the weakest. A cold and wet June complicated flowering, before a hot and dry summer — reaching 34°C on 20 July — revived ripening, followed by cool September nights around 3°C that preserved the freshness of the grapes. The harvest, healthy but scarce, yielded tannic, slow-to-open wines, which explains their long-discreet reputation compared to 1947 and 1949. Nearly eighty years on, the finest are medium-bodied, with silky tannins, showing cedar, tobacco and dried fruits.

The left bank reaches its pinnacle here with Château Latour, whose 1948 from Pauillac is regularly cited as the wine of the year in the Médoc — refined and stylish. On the right bank, Pomerol succeeds brilliantly: Vieux Château Certan 1948 is the most spectacular expression, alongside Petrus, one of the most complete wines of the vintage. At Pessac-Léognan, Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Haut-Brion confirm the consistency of their gravelly soils in a demanding year.

Burgundy 1948: a modest year, the Clos des Lambrays as a piece of history

In Burgundy, 1948 was a demanding year. A harsh winter, a late spring and a cool, wet summer delayed budbreak and then flowering, before a warmer and drier September brought a welcome respite. The reds from the Côte de Nuits emerged light to medium-bodied, with supple tannins, lacking the depth of the very greatest Burgundy years. The finest bottles, burnished by time, seduce today through their delicacy rather than their power.

In this type of year, the hand of the estate makes all the difference. The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1948 is among the rare cuvées to have crossed the decades with authority. Our cellar holds above all a piece of history, the Domaine des Lambrays 1948, from the Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru during the era of Renée Cosson, owner since 1938: a period marked by the rejection of chaptalization, long vatting and extended wood ageing, whose wines retain a remarkable freshness.

Rhône Valley 1948: the north on the eve of the great 1949

In the Rhône Valley, 1948 stands out as part of a prolific decade for northern Syrah, just before the great 1949. The north, around Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, relies on granitic hillsides conducive to longevity, producing structured and spicy wines. The year remains less celebrated than the Rhône peaks surrounding it, and surviving bottles are now a rarity.

The house Paul Jaboulet Aîné, whose Hermitage La Chapelle would become a legend with the 1961 vintage, embodies this tradition of ageing in the northern Rhône. The rare bottles from the late 1940s still in circulation are aimed at lovers of very old Syrah, seeking an evolved profile of dark fruits, leather and spice.

Champagne 1948: a great harvest, rare age-worthy cuvées

In Champagne, 1948 was first and foremost a large harvest — abundant and healthy — the bulk of which went into non-vintage blends. A cold winter and a cool, wet spring were offset by a dry and sunny September, conducive to ripeness. Few houses ultimately declared the vintage, making the rare vintage cuvées of the year particularly sought after.

These bottles now belong to the collector's world: their evolved profile blends candied citrus, dried fruits, honey and toasted bread, on a bubble that has settled but is still present. With great cellaring houses such as Krug, only wines with perfectly documented provenance are worth opening, as the risk from storage conditions grows with each passing decade.

Buy a 1948 wine from SoDivin

Choosing a 1948 wine means betting on a wine of character, long underestimated, where the great terroirs of the left bank and Pomerol produced tannic wines that have become, with time, refined and deep. It is also an opportunity to offer a rare and meaningful birth year. Our cellar currently holds two exceptional bottles from 1948, a Château Margaux from the Médoc and a Domaine des Lambrays from Morey-Saint-Denis, each expertly assessed and checked — level, label and provenance — before shipping. To compare vintages and refine your choice, consult the SoDivin Vintage Guide. Same-day shipping for orders placed before 2 p.m., careful and secure packaging, supported by high-definition photographs.

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